Dozens of women from the Marshall Islands are traveling to the U.S. every year to adopt out their babies to U.S. families despite government efforts to crack down on this unique baby pipeline. We examine the people and practices that are continuing to perpetuate the problem.

University of Hawaii researchers tracked dozens of hungry tiger
sharks to a remote atoll in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine
National Monument this summer. Civil Beat photojournalist Alana
Eagle documents the expedition in this multimedia special report.

A Civil Beat Investigation: In Hawaii’s workers’ comp system, people with long-lasting injuries are often forced to battle doctors hand-picked by insurance companies to get treatment and disability payments.

Hawaii Home Values Have Doubled Since 2000

The median price of a Hawaii home has more than doubled in the past 10 years, but slightly more families are choosing to own than did a decade ago.

While more homes are occupied by their owners, the state still ranks at the bottom for home ownership and its rents are the highest in the country. Maui and Kauai are now more expensive than Honolulu, while the Big Island has the highest rate of home ownership.

The median value of owner-occupied units rose from $249,300 in the 2000 Census to $521,500 in the 2009 American Community Survey, an increase of more than 109 percent, according to an analysis of the data by Civil Beat. Both the 2000 and 2009 values were the highest in the country.

A decade ago, less than one in 10 Hawaii homes (9.6 percent) was valued at more than a half-million dollars. Now, more than half (52.6 percent) of Hawaii’s owner-occupied homes are valued at more than $500,000.

State

Median Value

Rank

Hawaii

$521,500

1

California

$479,200

2

Massachusetts

$357,600

3

New Jersey

$356,800

4

Maryland

$326,400

5

Source: Civil Beat Analysis of American Community Survey data — Full Table

In four communities — Hanalei and Kalihiwai on Kauai’s North Shore and Kaanapali and Kapalua in West Maui — the median home value is more than $1 million.1

Even as values have skyrocketed, more Hawaii families own their own home and fewer are renting than a decade ago. Of 131 communities statewide, 76 saw the percent of owner-occupied units increase in the last 10 years. All four counties saw an uptick.

Of 105 occupied homes in Kukuihaele on the North Shore of the Big Island, more than 90 percent are lived in by their owners. Maunawili, Heeia, Ahuimanu and Ewa Villages also had high rates of owner occupation.

Despite the statewide increase and the high rates in some areas, Hawaii is still at the bottom of the country in home ownership. Its rate of 56.5 percent was 49th of 50 states in the 2000 Census; in the new survey, Hawaii is up to 58.1 percent and 48th nationally. The U.S. mark is 66.9 percent.

State

Owner-Occupied

Rank

Minnesota

74.9%

1

Michigan

74.6%

2

West Virginia

74.3%

3

…

…

…

Hawaii

58.1%

48

California

57.9%

49

New York

55.7%

50

Source: Civil Beat Analysis of American Community Survey data — Full Table

For those residents who are still renting, their costs have gone up — though not as much as owner-occupied home values. Rent went up in all but four towns statewide, and 19 different communities have a median rent higher than $1,500. In Village Park on the outskirts of Waipahu, 100 percent of homes rent for more than $1,000.

Across Hawaii, the median rent rose from $721 in the 2000 Census to $1,106 in the new American Community Survey. A decade ago, just 22 percent of renters paid more than $1,000 per month. Now, 56.4 percent do.

State

Median Contract Rent

Rank

Hawaii

$1,106

1

California

$1,002

2

New Jersey

$922

3

Maryland

$896

4

Alaska

$857

5

Source: Civil Beat Analysis of American Community Survey data — Full Table

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